Brent Russell will join up with the enlarged SA Sevens squad as they prepare for next month’s tournament in Dubai.

The 32-man group also includes players who starred in this year’s Currie Cup such as Stefan Basson, Kabamba Floors and Phillip Burger. Coach Paul Treu admitted that his first priority will be reorientating these players with the shortened version of the game after a long Currie Cup season. â€œI am really looking forward to see them working with the current crop of emerging talent,” he said.

The team is similar to the one that won the championship in Paris earlier this year, with the notable omissions of Gio Aplon and Ryan Kankowski, as well as captain Jaco Pretorius, who is set to tour with the Springboks.

The squad of 32 will begin training on Monday 29 October in Cape Town. The group will then be trimmed to 18 players at the second camp from 8 – 14 November in Durban, and the final preparation for the tournament in Dubai will be begin on 21 November before the team heads off on the 26th.